The criminal syndicate known as the Ranc Gang established its operations on the Outer Rim planet of Kaddak. Following the Battle of Jakku, Terex, an ex-stormtrooper who participated in said battle, ascended to the position of crime lord within the Rancs, adopting the title of Lord-General. Later, upon enlisting with the First Order, a fascist military junta born from the remnants of the Galactic Empire in the Unknown Regions, he transferred control of the gang to Wisper. When Terex made his way back to Kaddak, he seized control of the gang back from Wisper. Subsequently, the Ranc Gang became involved in the pursuit of Poe Dameron, a Resistance starfighter pilot. A significant number of gang members met their demise during the battle over a desert planet.
Operating as both a criminal organization and a ship repair/salvage enterprise, the Ranc Gang made their base on the Outer Rim world of Kaddak. The Sliver, Kaddak's primary settlement, fell under their dominion. They maintained a headquarters and commanded a fleet of "Uglies," which consisted of TIE/ln space superiority starfighters and TIE/rp Reaper ships cobbled together from the wreckage of starships and vehicles left over from the Galactic Civil War. The leader of the gang functioned under the designation of Lord-General.
The Ranc Gang's presence on Kaddak began sometime after the Battle of Jakku. Wenda and Bett initially led the group, which also functioned as a ship repair and salvage operation. Following the relocation of former stormtrooper Corlac and his companion Terex to Kaddak, Corlac renewed contact with Wenda and Bett. He persuaded Terex to assist the gang in gaining access to the Rothana Imperial Shipyards. After seizing control of the shipyards, Corlac, in collaboration with Wenda and Bett, plotted to kill Terex, viewing him as an impediment to their ambition of constructing a pirate fleet. Terex uncovered their scheme and eliminated them.
Subsequently, Terex assumed leadership of the gang. With Wisper and Zumgi serving as his lieutenants, Terex transformed the Ranc Gang into a notorious pirate organization based on Kaddak, known for raiding ships and engaging in conflicts with rival gangs. After some of Terex's pirates intercepted a shipment containing stormtrooper armor destined for the First Order, Terex decided to align himself with the First Order, ceding leadership of the gang to Wisper. While Wisper brought wealth to the gang, he never garnered the same level of respect as Terex.
At a later point, Terex came back to reclaim control of the Ranc Gang. When Wisper protested the takeover, Zumgi eliminated him and reaffirmed the gang's loyalty to Terex. Under Terex's command, the gang seized control of his flagship, the Carrion Spike, from its First Order crew. Meanwhile, Poe Dameron, the Resistance starfighter pilot, along with Oddy Muva, a Resistance technician, and the droids C-3PO and BB-8, forced their way into the gang's headquarters. Despite Dameron being stunned, C-3PO activated the Resistance spy droid network, compelling the gangsters to surrender N1-ZX, a BX-series droid commando purportedly carrying a wealth of information about the First Order. Terex then placed a bounty on Dameron's head but intentionally allowed Dameron and the droids to escape with N1-ZX and the data. However, this information was disinformation planted by Terex as part of a scheme to locate the elusive Resistance base.
Terex successfully tracked Dameron's T-70 X-wing starfighter and assembled a fleet of "Uglies" to pursue him. Once in space, Terex delegated the mission to his Ranc Gang lieutenants, Zumgi and Brrang, trusting them more than the First Order. However, Dameron discerned Terex's plan and ejected from his ship over a desert planet. The Ranc fleet swiftly followed, shooting down Dameron's starfighter. Dameron's X-wing crash-landed on the desert planet.
Terex led a landing party in pursuit of Dameron and the droids. BB-8 and C-3PO managed to impede the gang's progress by dropping stalactites and fjor-bats on them. Meanwhile, Muva, the Abednedo, snuck aboard the Carrion Spike and forced Zumgi to lead him to his wife, Sowa Chuan, who had been enslaved by Terex to coerce him into working as a spy. Brrang was in command of the Carrion Spike and the Ranc fleet when the Resistance Black Squadron arrived to rescue Dameron.
Despite having a numerical advantage over the Resistance squadron, the Ranc Gang's "Uglies" were outmatched by Black Squadron. Muva further assisted Black Squadron by reprogramming the Carrion Spike's battle computers to fire on the "Uglies." This allowed him and the slaves to escape in escape pods to the desert planet. Black Squadron escorted the escape pods, but the Ranc Gang shot down one of them. The Duros Resistance pilot L'ulo L'ampar shot down the "Ugly" before being downed himself. Brrang managed to regain control of the Carrion Spike's systems. The Ranc ships regrouped to assault Black Squadron.
However, First Order forces under Commander Malarus emerged from hyperspace and opened fire on the Ranc fleet, decimating numerous "Uglies" and Terex's flagship. Malarus then led a landing party that apprehended Terex for disobeying Supreme Leader Snoke's directives to avoid hostilities against the New Republic and its allied forces. Dameron permitted the First Order to arrest Terex but informed the defeated crime lord and First Order agent that he had lost his fleet.
The Ranc Gang made its debut in the 2016 comic Poe Dameron 9, penned by Charles Soule and illustrated by Phil Noto.